La Línea Mareth en Túnez, 1943
This diagram of the Mareth Line shows the deployment of Italian and German divisions of Heeresgruppe Afrika defending the line in front of Toujane, Mareth and Zarat in western Tunisia. The British 8th Army advanced against the Mareth Line on 17th Febrero 1943, encountering little opposition. The town of Medenine was occupied the following day and preparations for the attack began. On 6th March, three German Panzerdivisions, two light divisions, and elements of three Italian divisions launched a preemptive attack from the Matmata mountains in the direction of Medenine, but they were repulsed by unusually heavy and very effective artillery fire. Rommel lost 55 of his remaining 150 tanks in this action. Montgomery launched his own attack, code-named "Operation Pugilist", against the Mareth Line in the night of 19/20 Marzo 1943.
Elements of the British 50th Division (Major General Kirkman) penetrated the Mareth Line and established a bridgehead west of Zarat on 20th/21st March, but a determined counterattack by 15. Panzerdivision (Generalmajor Borowietz) destroyed the pocket and established the line once again in the course of 22nd March. On 26th March, General Horrock’s British X Corps flanked the Mareth Line west and northwest of the Matmata Mountains, crossing the Tebaga Valley and capturing the town of El Hamma. This flanking movement made the Mareth Line untenable. The following day, German and Italian units managed to check Horrock’s advance with well-placed anti-tank guns, in an attempt to gain time for a strategic withdrawal from the Mareth Line. Within 48 hours the defenders of the Mareth Line marched 60 kilometers northwest and established new defensive positions at Wadi Akarit.
The town of Toujane in the Matmata Mountains
View from the Toujane-Mareth road into the valleys below
Entrance to the Museum of the Mareth Line
Musée Militaire de la Ligne Mareth
British 2pdr anti-tank gun outside the Museum of the Mareth Line
| Garmin GPS Waypoints | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matmata, Tunisia | N 33°32’54.9" | E009°57’00.8" | 321 m |
| Mareth, Tunisia | N 33°35’46.0" | E010°18’39.3" | 63 m |
| Medenine, Tunisia | N 33°21’21.9" | E010°28’35.0" | 121 m |
| GPS waypoints in WGS-84 format, taken with a handheld GARMIN eTrex Summit Global Positioning System. | |||
The concrete emplacements of the Mareth Line can still be seen alongside the road from Toujane to Mareth. Apparently, these bunkers are considered Tunisian military installations today, and tourists are not permitted to photograph them.
Preguntas más frecuentes
Para más información, por favor contactar con Military Miniatures Magazine en el Miniatures Forum.
– Publicado: 18.12.2000 – Actualizado: 25.06.2008© 2000-2010 by IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt, Alemania. Todos derechos reservados. Mujeres | Hombres | Selfness | Mercado Navideño | Encuentro del Desayuno | Love & Fun | Internet
Juego di Guerra | Agenda Cultural | Enlaces
